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Pakistan opposition rally clashes with police, dozens hurt

Pakistani officials say supporters of the country's opposition leader, Shahbaz Sharif, have clashed with police in the eastern city of Lahore, leaving dozens of protesters hurt.

Thursday's violence erupted when riot police used batons to prevent Sharif's supporters from reaching an anti-graft tribunal where he appeared to face a pre-trial hearing over alleged links to a multi-million dollars housing scam.

Maryam Aurangzeb, a spokeswoman for Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League party, says police beat the party's supporters without any provocation.

Police say they prevented demonstrators from trying to storm the court.

Sharif, the opposition leader in parliament, has been held in custody by the National Accountability Bureau since October. He is accused of influencing authorities to award contracts for a housing program to a company with which he had political connections